CORVALLIS - Sophomore left fielder Kate Dickman tied Utah's single-game record with seven RBI, including a pair of homers, to lead the University of Utah softball team to its first-ever Pac-12 Conference road victory on Saturday at Oregon State by an 11-2 score.

Utah (18-22-1, 4-10 Pac-12) outhit Oregon State, 13-7, as Dickman led the way with a 3-for-4 afternoon. The Utes also drew four walks on the day, while not issuing a single free pass to the Beavers.

"I didn't even realize until after we broke our post-game huddle that this was our first Pac-12 road win," Utah Head Coach Amy Hogue said. "That's how focused we are on winning this series and that's what we came here to try to do. It's fun to see how focused this team is and I'm excited to what we can do tomorrow."

Dickman tied three others in the school record book with seven RBI in a single game: Cyndee Bennett vs. New Mexico on Apr. 6, 1996; Lyndsey Trevis vs. Massachusetts on Mar. 10, 2001 and Niki Hayhurst vs. Colorado State on Apr. 1, 2001. Her seven RBI is the highest single-game mark for any individual in conference play this season and also ties two others for the league lead in all games among all Pac-12 hitters.

Dickman has four round-trippers this season, each coming against Pac-12 foes, and she has hit five over her career. The Mission Viejo, Calif., native now leads the team with 27 RBI this season. She leads the team with seven multi-RBI outings and has nine multi-hit efforts this year.

Freshman catcher Shelby Pacheco tied her season high with three hits after a 3-for-3 effort, while senior second baseman Jackie Sweet added two hits. Sweet has had two or more hits in 11 games in 2013, while Pacheco owns six. Pacheco also drove in her 22nd RBI on the year, while junior center fielder Chalese Fankhauser drove in her 15th RBI.

Senior shortstop Kelsi Hoopiiaina tagged her team-high sixth homer of the year, a two-run shot in the seventh. She has 23 RBI this season. The Riverton, Utah native now has 23 career home runs and has 99 career RBI as a Ute.

Sophomore Mariah Ramirez turned in her fifth complete-game effort of the year and picked up the win after allowing only two earned runs on seven hits, while not issuing a walk. The Hawaiian Gardens, Calif., native improved to 6-8 in pitching decisions this season.

"With a big early lead, Mariah was able to pitch freely," Hogue said. "She didn't have to be careful and could go right at the hitters. She had zero walks today and that always gives your team an edge. We made plays on defense and Mariah was not worried about strikeouts. She just wanted to get ahead of the hitters and get some quick innings. She did just exactly what we asked.

"We walked four times today and were able to capitalize on those scoring opportunities," Hogue said. "We only outhit them, 13-7, but they did not draw a walk and that proved to be crucial. We also made fewer errors so all of that added up."

The Utes scored in six of their seven at-bats, beginning with a two-run homer by Dickman off a 2-1 offering in the first frame.

Utah exploded for four runs in the second after an opposite-field grand slam on a 3-0 count for Dickman that went over the left-field fence to give the Utes a 6-0 lead.

"The most fun we had today was that grand slam by Kate on a 3-0 count," Hogue said. "That was huge. She is seeing the ball well and it was great to see her hit for power to the opposite field. When she started getting hot, she was turning on the ball and now to go back and hit opposite field is fun. You can see how talented she is. And it was fantastic that we continued to put runs on the board in nearly every inning. [Oregon State] never stopped playing hard and did not go away. They had energy and enthusiasm throughout."

Pacheco knocked an RBI single up the middle in the third to spur Utah to a 7-0 lead, before a double through the right-center field gap by Fankhauser gave Utah an 8-0 advantage.

OSU put single runs on the board in its half of both the fourth and the fifth, but Utah responded promptly in the sixth as Dickman tied the school's single-game RBI record with an RBI base hit back up the middle of the Beaver defense.

Hoopiiaina then capped Utah's day by cracking the first pitch she saw over the left-field fence for a two-run homer to set the final margin at 11-2 in favor of the Utes.
Tomorrow's series finale will start at 12 p.m. PT and will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks with JB Long (PBP) and Kyndra de St. Aubin (Analyst) calling the action. Follow the live stats at osubeavers.com.